- Written by Sonya Jessup and Liz Jackson
- BBC London News
Paul Scully MP told BBC London that some people were “afraid to go out”.
A London MP and former mayoral candidate has defended his comments after suggesting there were “no-go” areas in parts of Tower Hamlets.
Mr Scully also claimed people were concerned about “neighborhood changes”.
In a second interview, the Conservative Party told BBC London that some people were “afraid to go out”.
“There are some areas where there are a small number of people who make people feel uncomfortable that they don’t belong to their religion or culture, or that they misunderstand their doctrines. That doesn’t mean that Tower Hamlets itself is I’m not saying it’s a forbidden area,” he said.
Asked if the Prime Minister agreed with Mr Scully’s comments, Rishi Sunak’s spokesman said: “No, he has spoken before about the value of Britain’s very diverse communities and society. “There is,” he answered.
“The right to talk”
Sutton and the team’s agent, Scully, opened the radio interview by saying that Anderson’s comments were “wrong-conceived” and “truly inflammatory” and that he needed to apologize, but that he did not know what he meant. “I understand,” he said.
In a television interview later Monday, Scully clarified his comments, saying, “What I was trying to say is that a few years ago we had Muslim patrols, but some of the protagonists are I think there are some people who realize the error of their ways, and I do too.” We have seen other areas where pressure is being put on people who are concerned about taking action in their area.
A source close to London Mayor Sadiq Khan said Mr Scully should not “send deeply divisive messages about Muslims”.
“I can’t talk right now. I’m just talking about what I’ve seen and heard and people’s perceptions,” he continued.
“It’s right to talk about why a small number of people are creating fear, whether it’s Muslims, gangs or other disaffected people.
“That’s not the same as saying all Muslims are kicking people out, because that’s obviously ridiculous and a conspiracy theory that I don’t understand.”
“Should I bother raising my voice?”
Scully added: “I apologize if I said the wrong thing or if it was divisive, but there are always a few people who are ready to attack, and some who are behind it.
“This is not metaphorical. There is no doubt that there are people in this country who are afraid to go out, not just because of Islamic gangs, but because of other gangs.”
Mr Scully was asked for evidence that Islamic gangs were active in London, but could not provide any.
“I’m a little annoyed…to be honest.” [like] I didn’t have to get up this morning because I had a 10-minute warning at 7:05 to call out one of my co-workers for his rude language, and suddenly I was labeled a conspiracy theorist. …of this world,” he said.
“Should I even bother speaking out? If good people don’t speak up, these opinions will be perpetuated.”
A source close to London Mayor Sadiq Khan said: “Unfortunately, Paul Scully has made extremely offensive and untrue claims that parts of London are off-limits to non-Muslims.” “It’s appealing to notorious Islamophobic tropes.”
“This comes after senior Conservative Party leaders, including the Prime Minister, failed to condemn Lee Anderson’s vile racist and anti-Muslim comments about the Mayor.
“As a former cabinet minister, Mr. Scully should be working to unite communities instead of sending deeply divisive messages about Muslims.”
Mr Anderson, a former Conservative Party vice-chairman and a suspended Conservative MP, said his words had been poor, but refused to apologize.
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